Preview — The Accused
by Jana Deleon

After working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan is back in Mystere Parish, where his latest assignment seems like a joke: making sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two weeks to comply with her mother's will. But soon the sexy sheriff isn't laughing. Someone-or something-is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, turning her once-grand mansion into aAfter working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan is back in Mystere Parish, where his latest assignment seems like a joke: making sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two weeks to comply with her mother's will. But soon the sexy sheriff isn't laughing. Someone-or something-is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, turning her once-grand mansion into a house of horrors.

But as he searches for the truth, Carter must face ghosts of his own past lurking in the bayou. Most troubling of all is his unprofessional attraction to the woman he's protecting, as Alaina's allure haunts him as no specter ever could.......more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published
July 23rd 2013
by Harlequin
(first published January 1st 2013)

The first book in the Mystere Parish:Family Inheritance series by Jana Deleon. Alaina LeBeau quits her job and discovers she has an opportunity to inherit her childhood home if she manages to stay in the place for 2 full weeks. Her "babysitter" is Carter Trahan, the local sheriff.

It was a good read but leaves you hanging at the end. Phfttttttttttttttt!

I kept debating on how to rank this book. I finally decided 3 stars which might be unfair. I was left with two many questions that guilty party did not seem to fit. Now it is the start to a trilogy so maybe the answers will fit better when all three books are together. I guess I will have to see.

I really like Jana's mudbug series of books so I will want to read the next two books and see if they all fit together better.Alaina has not been to her family home since she was seven and her mot3 STARS

I kept debating on how to rank this book. I finally decided 3 stars which might be unfair. I was left with two many questions that guilty party did not seem to fit. Now it is the start to a trilogy so maybe the answers will fit better when all three books are together. I guess I will have to see.

I really like Jana's mudbug series of books so I will want to read the next two books and see if they all fit together better.Alaina has not been to her family home since she was seven and her mother died. Her stepfather sent her to one relative and her sisters to different relatives. She lost her mom and sisters at one time plus her home. Alaina got passed over to make partner in her law firm because she won a case. The defendant then went out and murdered a little girl. (I thought defense attorneys were supposed to win) So she quit. That is when she got the letter from a lawyer stating that her stepfather had died and for her to receive the family money and home each of her sisters had to live in the house for two weeks.

Her stepfather never really left the mansion. Their is a care taker who is really old and can't climb the stairs. The estate is not in good condition.

Alaina plans to decide if she wants to continue being a lawyer or what does she want to do now. She wants to see her sisters.

Carter is the Sheriff and he is asked to check on Alaina each day for the two weeks. If she takes off even for one day the count as to start over. Carter thinks he sees someone in one of the upper floors but their is no evidence of anybody. He does not feel right about things at the mansion.

Someone is playing with Alaina and it is getting dangerous for her to stay alone in the house. So Carter plans to stay with her to protect her.There is plenty of mystery surrounding Alaina and her family home. Lots of enemies who might want her harmed. There is a couple of love scenes that I skimmed over. I would say that this book is not meant to be read by itself but part of a series. There is a ghost.

I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it in return by Netgalley.publication: July 23rd 2013 by Harlequin Intrigue 288 pages ISBN:0373747624

Description below taken off of Netgalley

USA TODAY bestselling author Jana DeLeon has a new trilogy-Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance After working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan is back in Mystere Parish, where his latest assignment seems like a joke: making sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two weeks to comply with her mother's will. But soon the sexy sheriff isn't laughing. Someone-or something-is stalking the beautiful defense lawyer, turning her once-grand mansion into a house of horrors.

But as he searches for the truth, Carter must face ghosts of his own past lurking in the bayou. Most troubling of all is his unprofessional attraction to the woman he's protecting, as Alaina's allure haunts him as no specter ever could.......more

This book was good, but it just started really slow for me. Even then, the story seemed to drag in places. I will be interested to read the next two installments of this trilogy to see what happens with the other two sisters.

The Accused was a really good thriller it managed to keep me guessing and at times majorly freak me out, but the romance let it down.

What The Accused does really well is scare the reader. This is not a horror but there were moments that were really tense and I was sitting in on the edge of my seat whilst reading. All of the dark scary moments happen in a spooky house full of hidden passage ways and entrances. It was a clever move from the author because ever

The Accused was a really good thriller it managed to keep me guessing and at times majorly freak me out, but the romance let it down.

What The Accused does really well is scare the reader. This is not a horror but there were moments that were really tense and I was sitting in on the edge of my seat whilst reading. All of the dark scary moments happen in a spooky house full of hidden passage ways and entrances. It was a clever move from the author because everything felt safe until we were taken to that house then things got a little tense because you knew something was going to happen.

There was a little touch of the paranormal which was ok but not necessarily needed. I didn’t really feel like it added very much but it didn’t ruin the book either. The suspense/thriller aspects were enough to keep me on edge.

What was really great about The Accused was its ability to keep me guessing. I had no idea who the bad guy was until the end and it really managed to surprise me. Normally I am pretty good at guessing who the killer/bad guy is before the end but this time I was nowhere near.

The characters were both nice. Carter was a good guy and I liked the way he protected Alaina without being pushy. Alaina was strong but not stupid. She didn’t place herself in danger because she was stubborn or wanting to prove herself which is a pet peeve of mine.

My one issue with this book was the romance. It was alright and I thought Carter and Aliana were a good match but there was just no real pace or structure to it. The one sex scene was awkward and difficult. It was generic, short and to be honest should have not been in the book in the first place. It added nothing to the story or the romance.

The Accused it a good, spooky thriller that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would.

The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review...more

Chills, goosebumps and a sexy bayou romance highlight this great mystery by Jana DeLeon.Alaina conditionally inherits an incredible mansion in the swamps of Mystere Parish on the same day she resigns from her position at a prestigious Baton Rouge law firm. She's fed up with the politics of her firm, and crippled by the guilt and self-doubt caused by her first criminal case.Returning to the small-town of Calais and the mansion where she lived until the age of seven, Alaina must live in the house Chills, goosebumps and a sexy bayou romance highlight this great mystery by Jana DeLeon.Alaina conditionally inherits an incredible mansion in the swamps of Mystere Parish on the same day she resigns from her position at a prestigious Baton Rouge law firm. She's fed up with the politics of her firm, and crippled by the guilt and self-doubt caused by her first criminal case.Returning to the small-town of Calais and the mansion where she lived until the age of seven, Alaina must live in the house for 14 days, as must her two sisters, for them to inherit the house and her mother's estate. The catch is that when her mother died, Alaina's rotten step-father sent the sisters to distant relatives and they've had no contact for the last 25 years. But Alaina figures she's got nothing to lose and returning to her childhood home might set some ghosts to rest. The opposite is true, however, and Alaina's arrival seems to trigger ghostly activity and long-lost memories. Not all the activity is ghostly, though, as Alaina discovers signs that somebody has been in the house, and soon it appears that her life is in danger.The local sheriff had been emotionally blackmailed into monitoring Alaina's daily presence to meet the terms of the will, and initially he thinks she's a cold city lawyer. But as they spend time together and relize the danger is real, Alaina opens up to Carter and they discover a sizzling mutual attraction.As strong as the story and characters are, however, the ending is weak and felt incomplete, which is why I rated it as 3 stars. I don't want to spoil it for others so won't give away names, but the guilty party had a very tenuous motivation to kill Alaina, and it's never explained how he knew about the secret entrances to the mansion, which made it possible for him to sneak around. And the paranormal element, so beautifully and deftly interwoven with the mystery (to the point where I got actual goosebumps reading the book), was barely mentioned at the end, although it played a significant part in the finale.

This book tell the story of Alaina who went back to her family home after being contacted by her family lawyer that her deceased mother’s will have left the family money to her and her two sisters. The only catch in the will is that she and her sisters are to stay in the house for two consecutive weeks but not necessary together within a year from the death of her stepfather. Alaina have just left the firm when she lost out her partnership to her colleague after losing a criminal suit case leadThis book tell the story of Alaina who went back to her family home after being contacted by her family lawyer that her deceased mother’s will have left the family money to her and her two sisters. The only catch in the will is that she and her sisters are to stay in the house for two consecutive weeks but not necessary together within a year from the death of her stepfather. Alaina have just left the firm when she lost out her partnership to her colleague after losing a criminal suit case lead by her. The offer comes in on time and she is curious of being back to her family home after being deported by her stepfather at the age of seven to a relative’s home when her mother’s passed away and separated by her other sisters. There is also the prospect of a reunion with her long lost sister. Carter is the sheriff Of Calais town and he was asked to babysit Alaina by his mother during her 2 weeks staying in the house. He reluctantly agreed to it. On the day of her arrival, he thoughts he sees someone in one of the upper floor whom he thought is Alaina. And things start to happened and someone seems to be hiding in the old house and doesn’t want Alaina to fulfil her two weeks stay in the house.

I know that this book is the first book of the Family Inheritance series but there are too many questions leave unanswered. There are no mentions at all about whom the two remaining sisters are and their whereabout. I guess I will have to wait for the subsequent book to have the questions answer. Overall, the story plot is not as straight forward as it is. I like the way the author’s have actually make the reader to question the person behind the attack; i.e. is that someone from her previous case or someone from the town who doesn’t want her to be around? ...more

I've read this author's "Ghost In-Law" series and I really like her writing style.

This is the first book of the "Family Inheritance" series.

Three sisters who were separated at a very early age by their step-father after their mother's death, now stand to inherit her estate. But before that can happen, all three sisters need to be found and they all have to spend two weeks living in the mansion their mother owned. In the very small town of Calais Louisiana.

The first sister is located and set toI've read this author's "Ghost In-Law" series and I really like her writing style.

This is the first book of the "Family Inheritance" series.

Three sisters who were separated at a very early age by their step-father after their mother's death, now stand to inherit her estate. But before that can happen, all three sisters need to be found and they all have to spend two weeks living in the mansion their mother owned. In the very small town of Calais Louisiana.

The first sister is located and set to spend her two weeks alone in the house. Alaina LeBeau, has just left her job at a law firm in Baton Rouge. She was passed over for a promised promotion, and now she's had enough of the partners and for now law in general. So it's perfect timing that her mother's lawyer has contacted her about her inheritance. She has all the time in the world now to figure out what she wants to do with her career and her life.

Carter Trahan, is the small town sheriff of Calais. He is asked by a family friend to help over see the terms of a will. He needs to stop by the old family mansion of Ophelia LeBeau and make sure that her daughters are in residence every day for their two week stay.

The last thing Carter wants is to spend his time babysitting a city lawyer. But he soon changes his mind when he gets a look at Alaina. And when he finds out that trouble may have followed her from Baton Rouge to Calais. Someone has been hiding in the old house, and determined to see that Alaina does not complete her stay.

I liked the story. Twists and turns around every corner. Lots of red herrings, sending you in different directions. It was well written, and fast paced. I'll be looking for the second sisters story....more

Split between 3 or 4 stars; I always love a Bayou setting. This reminded my strongly of another series this author wrote for Harlequin Intrigue: The Secret of Cypriere Bayou which I REALLY enjoyed. I'm disappointed that Ms. Deleon states she will not be writing any more books for Intrigue (http://janadeleon.com/harlequin-intri...), but I still have a few left and have downloaded one of her humorous mysteries: Louisiana Longshot.

I liked Carter Trahan, Sheriff of small town Calais, and Alaina LeBSplit between 3 or 4 stars; I always love a Bayou setting. This reminded my strongly of another series this author wrote for Harlequin Intrigue: The Secret of Cypriere Bayou which I REALLY enjoyed. I'm disappointed that Ms. Deleon states she will not be writing any more books for Intrigue (http://janadeleon.com/harlequin-intri...), but I still have a few left and have downloaded one of her humorous mysteries: Louisiana Longshot.

I liked Carter Trahan, Sheriff of small town Calais, and Alaina LeBeau, Baton Rouge attorney on sabbatical that has to live in her deceased mother's run down planation house for 2 weeks in order to fulfill the terms of the will. Nicely paced action, plenty of suspects (although I did have a hunch early on the culprit, and I was right), and of course that creepy, dark, stormy Bayou setting is always a win. Will definitely be embarking upon the next one, The Betrayed.

I wasn't aware there is two different series incorporating Mystere Parish until I went to the author's website, but there is the reading order of those according to it: (* I've read already, those I haven't will be going in my TBR pile):

"Her looks are not the problem.""So there is a problem.""The beautiful, cast-off daughter of an heiress turns up decades later after her evil stepfather's death to live in the big mansion of horrors, and you have to ask if there's a problem."

That sums up this book well. Except there are lot of problems. There's also the issue of the ghost that Alaina and the caretaker sees. This is not fully explained or resolved. It is book 1 in a trilogy so hopefully answers are provided in later books. There'"Her looks are not the problem.""So there is a problem.""The beautiful, cast-off daughter of an heiress turns up decades later after her evil stepfather's death to live in the big mansion of horrors, and you have to ask if there's a problem."

That sums up this book well. Except there are lot of problems. There's also the issue of the ghost that Alaina and the caretaker sees. This is not fully explained or resolved. It is book 1 in a trilogy so hopefully answers are provided in later books. There's also the big issue of Alaina's last case before she left the firm, which led her to lose a chance to be a partner in at her law firm. Finally, the problem of where Alaina's two sisters are. So many questions in a short book.

Romantic suspense books are always hard to grade because 1) you have to believe in the romance 2) the suspense/ mystery has to be satisfying.

The romance: Carter and Alaina are attracted to each other right at the start. I thought they jumped into bed a little quickly. However, I did like that the "I love you's" were not exchanged at the end. That would have felt very rushed. You know for a certain that's where they are heading though.

The suspense: I kinda knew where the trail would lead to but I didn't know all of the twists. Again the ghost was not resolved. Alaina and the caretaker have seen the ghost. What is the ghost doing haunting the house? Is the ghost trying to tell them something?

Although it is a 3 star read/ average book, I will be reading the rest of the trilogy to see how the author resolves the mystery of the ghost/ mansion/ sisters/ inheritance.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.In the interest of transparency, I read this book because I was looking for something quick and "light" ( by way of plot,ect) to fill in the gap between two emotional reads. If I take in my motivation into account then I would definitely give it 4.5 stars ( if it would let me give half stars) , ignoring motivation...then a solid 4.

Although I normally like to have main characters a little more flawed I did fall in love with all the supporting characters and liked the main characters as well. MosIn the interest of transparency, I read this book because I was looking for something quick and "light" ( by way of plot,ect) to fill in the gap between two emotional reads. If I take in my motivation into account then I would definitely give it 4.5 stars ( if it would let me give half stars) , ignoring motivation...then a solid 4.

Although I normally like to have main characters a little more flawed I did fall in love with all the supporting characters and liked the main characters as well. Most often supporting characters are not well developed but that is not the case here. This could be due to the fact that this is the first in a series and I'm assuming at least some of these characters are going to reappear in the subsequent books...I do hope that is the case!!

Storyline wise...I loved the overall back story the author chose to go with for the sisters as a whole. The idea of sisters loosing their mother, at such an early age, and then being thorn apart and shipped away is heartbreaking. This story centres around the oldest sister who has to stay 2 weeks in a haunted mansion in order to inherit her mother's estate. As the story progresses she finds not only a ghost but a conspiracy and fortunately love as well.

All in all I will definitely be reading the rest of the series and would recommend it to anyone who likes a very light mystery thrown into their love stories....more

The Accused is the first book in the Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance trilogy.

Alaina De Leon is one of the three sisters in De Leon family. After the death of her evil stepfather, Alaina must go to her hometown and stay in their bayou for two weeks in order to claim her late mother's inheritance. She goes there and she meets Carter. He is a cop and responsible for Alaina's safety. An instant affection between them happens. From the start Alaina doesn't feel safe in the house that has many secrThe Accused is the first book in the Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance trilogy.

Alaina De Leon is one of the three sisters in De Leon family. After the death of her evil stepfather, Alaina must go to her hometown and stay in their bayou for two weeks in order to claim her late mother's inheritance. She goes there and she meets Carter. He is a cop and responsible for Alaina's safety. An instant affection between them happens. From the start Alaina doesn't feel safe in the house that has many secret passageways. She suspects that she is being followed. The question is the person following her alive of dead?

The story was good and the characters were average. I didn't like Alaina. It felt like she was afraid of her own shadow all the time. Carter was good. My favorite character was Willa, Carter's mother. I liked Carter's and Willa's close relationship.After all, this book was enjoyable, although very predictable.Will be checking the next two in the series The Betrayed and The Reunion....more

In Deleon’s romantic suspense novel, after years of working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan chucks the city life and returns to Mystere Parish where he takes on the role of sheriff. His assignment: make sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two consecutive weeks to comply with her mother’s will. To Carter, this is a joke. But it doesn’t take long for his laughter to die as he realizes the currently unemployed attorney has gained a stalker. As the assailant turns Alaina’sIn Deleon’s romantic suspense novel, after years of working as a cop in New Orleans, Carter Trahan chucks the city life and returns to Mystere Parish where he takes on the role of sheriff. His assignment: make sure Alaina LeBeau lives in her childhood home for two consecutive weeks to comply with her mother’s will. To Carter, this is a joke. But it doesn’t take long for his laughter to die as he realizes the currently unemployed attorney has gained a stalker. As the assailant turns Alaina’s family mansion into an unsafe haven, Carter must face his own demons. At the top of that list: his unprofessional attraction to Alaina.

A fast-paced, exceptional debut to the Mystere Parish: Family Inheritance series.

A creepy old house, mystery and a family inheritance, set in the swamps. The detective in me wants to explore and help with the mystery.A young mother dies leaving three young girls with a step father who send them off to relatives to live. Now the girls are all grown up, the step father has passed on and the girls are being sought out and found to claim their inheritance, they just need to live on the grounds of the estate for two weeks, all within the same year.Alaina is a top lawyer who justA creepy old house, mystery and a family inheritance, set in the swamps. The detective in me wants to explore and help with the mystery.A young mother dies leaving three young girls with a step father who send them off to relatives to live. Now the girls are all grown up, the step father has passed on and the girls are being sought out and found to claim their inheritance, they just need to live on the grounds of the estate for two weeks, all within the same year.Alaina is a top lawyer who just came off a tough case when she gets notified of her inheritance and the terms. In the swamp there is trouble all around Alaina, as she tries to re-assess her direction in life....more

This is a really good short mystery. Alaina has walked into a spooky house full of mystery. She never expected that someone would try to kill her. Thank goodness Carter, the sheriff, is good at his job. Even better that he cares for Alaina and wants to protect her. I plan to buy book 2 right away. I have to find out what happens to the next sister.

A fast-paced intriguing read. It rates 4.5 stars. While waiting in a doctor's office, I downloaded this book based on the recommendation of someone I met there. First time reading this author (it's always fun to discover someone new). Strange setting (spooky mansion) but quite timely for Halloween. This story kept me guessing until the end. Isn't that the mark of a good mystery?

Review for all three books in this series: all three books were a fast and enjoyable read. The series plotline was well done, the plot line for each book was a bit contrived at times. All in all a nice series.

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get there by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretchedNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jana DeLeon was raised in southwest Louisiana among the bayous and gators. Her hometown is Carlyss, but you probably won't find it on a map. Her family owned a camp located on a bayou just off the Gulf of Mexico that you could only get there by boat. The most important feature was the rope hammock hanging in the shade on a huge deck that stretched out over the water where Jana spent many hours reading books.

Jana and her brother spent thousands of hours combing the bayous in a flat-bottom aluminum boat, studying the natural habitat of many birds, nutria and alligators. She would like you to know that no animals were injured during these "studies," but they kept makers of peroxide in business.

Jana has never stumbled across a mystery or a ghost like her heroines, but she's still hopeful.

She now resides in Dallas, Texas, with the most spoiled Sheltie in the world.